Globaloney 2

Globalisation, a Thing to Support or a Thing to Suppress?

The Inevitable March to Globalisation

I wake up every day to an alarm clock made in China, I brush my teeth with Colgate toothpaste (colgate.com) made by an American multinational, I wear my favourite sweater which my grandmother sent me from Canada, I own a Nokia cell phone (http://www.nokia.com/") which was designed in Finland and assembled in China, and I go to work in a Japanese Suzuki (http://www.suzuki.com/). This is what globalisation is; a person living in any part of the world has access to things made in some other part of the world millions of miles away.

Globalisation is a process which connects and integrates people worldwide, people living in diametrically opposite parts of the earth have similar experiences and in some cases even similar lifestyles, all in effect due to globalisation.

According to IMF there are four basic aspects of globalisation:

Trade and transactions

Capital and investment movements

Migration and movement of people

The dissemination of knowledge

Some attribute globalisation to the modern wave of technology, where everything is within reach or just a phone call away. There was this time when in order to send a message a messenger was employed, he was given a scroll of parchment and sent en route via animal drawn carts. It took months for a message to reach, but today all you need to do is press a button and your message is sent to many people living around the globe. One of your recipients might be sitting in America and others in India.

Others say that globalisation started with the voyages to the New World, when Columbus discovered America. But no matter how you look at it, the world is becoming increasingly globalised. We are learning different languages in order to communicate effectively, learning English has become a must. We have devised methods to communicate, we have designed a system which is adopted by all, for the benefit of all. English is now a World Language, a language which people learn as a second language so that they can communicate with people around the world.

With the invention of wheel, everything started moving, a huge wave of motion started. First it was used in chariots, and when short distance travelling became easy, trade between towns and cities started. With the passing of time, new and more efficient wheeled vehicles evolved which led to a sudden boom in trade world-wide. A variety of things became available to common man which he didn’t think even existed, import and export started between countries, between continents.

Telephone, radio, and other telecommunication devices made communication and trade even easier. With the invention of telephones and telegraphs the world entered a modern era, it was just the beginning of the fast paced world we are in today. Today a person is virtually present among his loved ones even though he is sitting miles and miles away...

Globalistion Works

Consider a country which produces an ample amount of apples; it can do better by using its amount of needed apples and trading the excess for, let’s say, oranges. Same goes for a country like France or Spain where they have many wines and produce great wines, if they want beers they can better trade with Germany or Belgium rather than invent the brewing process themselves.

Globalisation has led people have access to a variety of things. A kid doesn’t have to eat the same ham sandwiches everyday just because that’s what his mother knows how to make, he can take those sandwiches and trade it for pasta with his friend whose mother cooks pasta best. His mother’s inability to cook pasta didn’t deprive him the luxury of eating it, and the same is the case with countries: if your country doesn’t produce something you can always import it.

Everything in its best quality is available, you don’t have to compromise over quality these days. All thanks to globalisation. All you need is a surf through the internet and you’ll know where to get the best product, for the most economical rates and you can look for the most convenient way of doing it. Your desired product is always to be found in the next room or the next continent!

Globalisation has led to a mutual sense of brotherhood, the IMF, the world bank, the United Nations council and more are all there to help other nations out. The UN is out there preventing wars, resolving issues between nations, helping the underdeveloped ones.

Today the life of a person revolves around internet, internet is now one of the major causes of globalisation. Wi-Fi and portable devices like cell phones, tablets, laptops have made us very efficient. We can’t imagine what life would be like without these gadgets. From a high school student to the CEO of a multinational, everyone uses internet to get things done and buy stuff. Radio, phones, garbage diposers and other kitchen appliances, you name it the internet sells it (just see buymobiles.net, and/or inductionselect.com/ for instance)

People have stopped going out, nowadays they socialise via social networking sites. Man has become hugely inter-dependent, today’s man can’t function independently, he has become dependent on technology, on other people, people around the globe. Internet boosts business, even interviews and business meetings are conducted through internet, through video chats.

A teenager sitting at home can earn a living through freelancing. If you have talent, the world is ready to recognise it, all you need are the right sources and the right approach to things. The days are long gone when you were dependent on your parents, now all you need is a laptop and an internet connection. You can work wonders, if you have the potential.Sitting at home you might be working for someone from across the continent. The modern wonders!

Why are social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube such a huge success? Because they help people connect, they help them to connect with each other, in this globalised world where a person has relatives, friends and loved ones scattered all over the globe, these sites are nothing less than pure bliss.

Outsourcing and offshore outsourcing are also internet related outcomes of globalisation. Outsourcing is a process of getting things done through a third party, and offshore outsourcing mutually benefits all the people involved. The outsourcing party gets work done cheaper than they would have gotten done in their own country. The country being outsourced is chosen due to its cheaper labour, and the labour is cheap due to lack of jobs. The unemployed get employed which makes it a win-win situation.

A question which arises here is what impact does globalisation have on nationalism? Is it hampering the nationalists spirit, is the number of expatriates increasing?
There are two sides to this topic which need to be explored , people are migrating from underdeveloped countries to the developed ones in search of jobs and better living conditions. Students are travelling from the under developed world to countries like England, France, America and other progressed parts of the world where they can get better education. It often turns out that students who were there just for educational purposes find good career opportunities and decide to settle there, somewhere far away from their homeland.

They leave their countries, their motherland for good. Why? Because they know that in this progressed part of the world they have a better shot at a successful life.

But I ask you; what for? People are busy in the rat race, chase cars and other material possessions, they work day and night to buy things they don’t really need, things they could easily have survived without. And to impress people they don’t like.

Globalisation has a huge effect on world peace. It has made wars less likely to break out because people around the world have become inter-dependent. A nation will be reluctant to wage war on another due to its dependency on it (if not directly but through a third party), it wages war and risks hurting its relations with some mutual friend and losing its integrity.

There is this thing known as "favour bank", you grant someone a favour and he will be obliged to return it. The more people you grant favours, the better it is for you in the global market. A favour bank always works, because once a person has lost his trust he won’t be trusted again. And in this rapidly progressing world one does not wish to lose contacts, everyone is their hardest to make contacts globally.

Cultural globalisation has led to a diversity in cuisine, sports and attire. Now its very normal to see an Arabic wearing suits and tee’s, an Indian wearing keffiyeh’s and kaftans. Pizza is Italian, but it is available in every part of the world, people eat pizza and they love it.

Americans are able to treat their taste buds to the rich taste of pizza because of globalisation, we enjoy cheese thanks to the French, soccer is a sport loved all over the world, we have the British to thank that we can enjoy an enthralling game of soccer, watch Ronaldo, Rooney and Beckham in action.

But, globalisation is also hurting cultures. Cultures of different countries are not pure, man has learnt to adapt to his surroundings, to wear what is comfortable not taking into account what harm it might be doing to his culture. He has put his comfort before his cultural values, the world is rapidly losing its rich culture. The cultures (due to globalisation) have become so intermingled that it is difficult to trace the origins of one particular culture and know how it was in its pure un-altered form. The cities have become metropolitan in the same neighbourhood, one house will be Chinese one American and the next Indian.

Now looking towards the positive aspect of globalisation, yes it harms nationalism, sometimes beyond repair, but it also increases revenue of a country. Those earning outside their country send their incomes back to their families, their loved ones who are dependent on them. Competition has become unbelievable, there is this general spirit enveloping every man, the spirit to excel at everything, cause those who are not the best in their field are not hired, for every man there are many standing in line to replace him. In order to keep one’s job he has to work hard to keep pace with the world, or else the world wouldn’t hesitate to move forward and trample him over while doing so.

The world has become very small. Or figuratively speaking the world is now flat, every now and then you are bound to cross paths with your competitors. You need to be prepared or else get ready to be trampled over.

Religion

Globalisation has also had a huge impact on religion. People now have become more aware, they can talk to different people belonging to different religions, to scholars all over the world, take their views on them, and decide for themselves what faith they want to be a part of. What satisfies their spiritual needs the most, what answers their questions best, in the most convincing ways, questions they have always wanted answered, but were never able to find the right means for it.

It has also increased religious tolerance, now people are more tolerant towards other religions, a Muslim, a Christian and a Hindu can coexist within the same neighbourhood, because this is the only way they can survive. They have to be tolerant to survive or else they will be shunned by the society. Shunned by the world!

This is going to be a short section on drinking water. Of course, drinking water is something we use from the tap or from bottles, but you can also find a great many food applications in which water is used. Think coffee, tea or soup for instance, but we also use water when preparing vegetables, potatoes or rice, not to mention the water used for rinsing and cleaning those potatoes or vegetables...
Plus, we use water for personal hygiene such as taking a shower or brushing your teeth.

Water is something we use all over the world, it's the number one necessity for humankind. So, what happens with the water we use in this ever growing world economy? Do we treat it with respect or is the quality getting worse?

While we don't exactly know the answer to this question, it is clear that pollution is a growing problem, especially in the poorer countries.
And with drinking contaminated water, there is a reasonable chance of ingesting pathogenic microorganisms, which not seldomly leads to infections in the gastro- intestinal tract.

So, I hope it is clear the chemical quality of our drinking water is becoming more and more important. Substances such as lead, nitrates and numerous other environmental contaminants can cause long-term health effects when taken in large amounts, so if possible start protecting your drinking water now. Not just for yourself, but for our global community as a whole.

The last few decades, people sleep shorter and shorter which has quite a few consequences. Sleep deprivation may lead to decreased concentration, a bad temper and increased fatigue. It's harder to recover from existing diseases and new diseases are earsier to get. As a resolution people often take sleeping pills, they are among the most prescribed sleep medications. Along with the direct effects of sleep deprivation (such as sick leaves and/or accidents) the cost of sleep deprivation is immense, in money but above all in our health.

To counteract the consequences we think about having better beds, and to a certain extent this is true. However, the most important reason for sleeping less than we used to is because we work longer, do more and also get influences by factors such as television and the internet.
This is especially true in modern societies like the US but we see the same things happen in poorer countries.

It's hard to stop this ongoing phenomenon, but we should at least try. Because if we continue like this we all won't sleep anymore in a few hundred years, and that's simply impossible.
Just start with a good bed, a good mattress and sleep well.